WBO Welcomes US Congress' Request to open 1964 archives
WBO Press Release
April 4 2004
Credit: Elliot P.
The Washington Brazil Office (WBO) considers the request made this Thursday, April 4, by a group of 17 American congresspeople to US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to be timely and important to request the declassification of U.S. government documents relating to the 1964 coup and the 21 years of dictatorship (1964-85).
“This is a very important request for the democratic relationship between Brazil and the United States. It is also a important request by a large number of members of civil society organizations in both countries – historians, journalists, students, activists – who depend on access to official documents to better understand this historical period,” said James N. Green, president of the Board of Directors of the WBO, author of 11 books about Brazil, and professor of Brazilian History and Culture at Brown University.
U.S. members of Congress recall that the U.S. government recently released documents linked to the 1973 coup in Chile. “We consider that a similar commitment in relation to Brazil is timely and necessary,” says the letter. According to the signatories, declassifying these documents “would not only enrich historical knowledge but also strengthen the US commitment to democratic values and human rights.”
The request specifically concerns a batch of 13 documents listed in the letter. These documents were selected by researchers, academics, and civil society organizations dedicated to the topic.
In a discreet but tenacious manner, the WBO has been working with universities, civil society organizations and ministers and parliamentarians from both countries to ensure public access to these documents, highlighting that, in the end, it will be up to both governments to cooperate. about the subject.
The issue of access to these documents was the subject of an article published by Green and WBO Executive Director Paulo Abrão in the newspaper Folha de São Paulo, on March 27, four days before the 60th anniversary of the 1964 coup. The same subject was covered in detail in the interview that Green did with Peter Kornbluh, senior analyst at the National Security Archive on the WBO's Brazil Unfiltered podcast, available in March on YouTube and on the main audio platforms.
